Our first trip to Seattle back in October 2013 was the first time my wife and I went on a vacation after having our first born child… so this was quite special. We instantly fell in love with it mostly because of the weather. It is rainy and gloomy - the perfect weather for us. We have talked about moving here numerous times because we just felt we belong here. We took our son with us on one of our trips back here a few years ago. This time we checked out some of Seattle’s real estate as the thought of moving in this city gives us some sort of buzz. Maybe some day we will move here. When the kids are all grown up, I see myself living here and enjoying the gloomy, rainy weather of this city. For now, I can only share with you some reasons why Seattle has become our favorite.

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​1. We love the rain.

Museum of Flight

​Seattle averages about 150 rainy days a year, but the amount of rain that falls is not that much which is the perfect weather in my opinion. After living in Southern California for a decade now, my wife and I still can’t get used to most people considering rain as if it’s a natural disaster. People taking out their phones to take pictures and complaining about it on social media is pretty common here. A celebration would finally seem to ensue as soon as the sun comes up --- I still can’t figure this out but this happens all the time.

If you haven’t seen this video, this is exactly how people react when it rains in my town.

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​2. It is overcast most of the year.

Downtown Seattle

It gets cloudy in the Emerald City about 225 days per year (woohoo!) and about 58 days of sunny skies. Most people move to SoCal because they like it sunny. Although there’s a lot of other reasons why I love SoCal, getting too much sun is not one of them. My wife even told me one time that she doesn’t like Summer that much because I get short with her. I never really noticed it but when she told me, I just realized that yes, the hot summer days make me hot tempered. Seattle is the exact opposite of sunny. My wife and I love to take long walks especially when it’s cloudy, and when we were in Seattle, all we did mostly was enjoy long walks.

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3. ​It’s not just a Metropolitan Area.

Pacific Science Center

Yes Seattle is a city, but you’re not limited to just seeing concrete walls all around. You can easily walk to amazing parks and community areas if you want to take a break from your office cubicle.

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4. People in Seattle are cold, but that never bothered me.

Downtown Seattle

Maybe it’s the weather, but I’ve heard so many people say that they can’t stand Seattle because people are mean. Most people who say this I assume are from the warm regions of the country like SoCal, where everyone is friendly and likes to small talk. I never find people in Seattle to be mean nor rude. They’re just not that warm and I don’t see it as a bad thing. When you walk into a store or hop at an Uber, there are times you just don’t want to chat. And this is why not making a lot of small talks in Seattle is something I don’t consider a problem.

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5. Freeways are not just gray concrete sightings

I-5 Freeway

​It felt good driving around here because the display of multi colored trees surrounding the highways makes the drive great. The scenery is just spectacular.

6. World renowned National Parks are just several minutes to a couple of hour drive.

Mount Rainier National Park

It doesn’t matter the season, you can visit national parks outside of Seattle and you’ll find yourself always staring in awe. That’s how I felt the first time I went to Mt. Rainier National Park. We went there again after a couple of years, and I still felt the same feeling of wonder.

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7. Museums are everywhere.

EMP Museum

Everytime we’re in a new city, I make it a point to take my wife to at least one museum or art exhibit whenever the time allows. Spending time in these places goes back way when we started dating. Seattle has tons of museums that will appeal to all audiences.

8. Best Asian food.

Pad Thai and Combination Fried Rice from Golden Singha

If California has the most delicious Mexican food, Seattle has some of the best Asian cuisine. I really find this strange and I haven’t really found any explanation but I’ve tried Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean food in this city and they are always on point. There are times my wife would tell me she wants to fly to Seattle just to have an order of combination fried rice from Golden Singha up in Cedar Street.

​9. Fresh seafood.

Pike Place Market

Being in a coastal area allows everyone to enjoy fish, oysters, clams, mussels and all sorts of yummy shellfish.

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10. Caffeine central.

The Original Starbucks at Pike Place Market

​Seattle residents consume the most coffee than any other city in the US. According to Wikipedia, people spend an average of $36 per month on coffee in this city. The first Starbucks location is in Seattle and this store in Pike Place is a tourist spot on its own, but it is also important to note that there are other very good (mostly better) coffee shops in this city. Walking through the streets of Seattle, I’ve realized that it is nearly impossible not to see at least one coffee shop in every block. If you love coffee, you will be in heaven living here.

I know some people who don't share the same views as mine and that's totally fine. I personally know someone who told me Seattle is his least favorite city. Have you ever been to Seattle? Let me know how you like it.

I moved to Seattle from LA in 2008. I do not regret it. Seattle has all four seasons, but without the extremes. We only have two-three weeks of hot weather. Most apartments and homes don't have air conditioning which was weird. The only drastic difference is LA is a city of extroverts and Seattle is introverts. It is hard to make new friends here.

Reply

My Next Flight Home

7/1/2017 11:15:59 pm

Wow I didn't know that most homes in Seattle don't have air conditioning, but if you only have a couple weeks of hot weather then I won't mind not having an AC. I know someone who told me the same thing that it's hard to make friends in Seattle.

I've only been to Seattle once, but I also fell in love with the city. It's one of the few cities in the US that I would actually live in after living in Europe.

The "cold" attitude might get to me... being from the Midwest, but I've gotten used to it in Germany (though here in Bavaria it certainly isn't as strong). I think the rain might bother me, though, and I like my wintery winter! Winter means snow, dammit!

Other than that, Seattle is a fine city. A great choice for anyone, especially fans of Asian food... which I looooove and crave right now. Might as well have to make some udon soon :)

Reply

My Next Flight Home

7/1/2017 11:44:00 pm

Hi Tom! I know too many people who just don't like the rain. I like it cold but I don't like too much snow. Haha

My wife and I plan on going to Munich, hopefully next year. I might send you an email if I have some questions. Hope you don't mind.

You mentioning udon got me craving for it, and it's almost 12 midnight here and no restaurant is open so I have no choice but to wait til tomorrow. Thanks for the comment!

Ha! my brother and sister in law just moved there this year (for the NAVY) So far they love it! I haven't heard them say people are mean yet, hope that's not true for their sake!
It's cold in MN and I like to think of us as the 'MN NICE' so cold weather doesn't necessarily mean rude, NOW tough YES! Maybe it's the gray skies ever day?! that would get to me! anyway... love the list of reasons you'd love to move there... the scenery, coffee, and food would persuade me!

Reply

MY NEXT FLIGHT HOME

9/5/2017 02:10:30 am

Your brother and sister in law are so lucky. Btw, I've never been to MN and hoping to go there one day.

If I had to choose one city in the USA to move, I'd also chose Seattle. I grew up with the grunge generation so I developed a special love for this city. Plus, I've seen photos of the woods and they are absolutely dreamy!

Reply

MY NEXT FLIGHT HOME

9/7/2017 09:29:54 am

I'm a 90s kid so grunge is an important music growing up. Glad to found another one who wants to move in this beautiful city. :)